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Essays are an essential part of academic life. No matter whether you are a middle school, high school, college, or university student, you will get assigned to various essays. Needless to say that they have many different types and purposes. This article strives to define what a narrative essay is, what the goal it has, and how to write it in a timely manner. We divided tips into specific blocks so that it is easier to use them.
Narrative essay – definition
First off, let’s identify what a narrative essay means. A narrative essay is a paper that comprises a personal story and an analysis of this story. Usually, essays require credible textual, visual, or statistical evidence to make the work reliable and backed up by authoritative sources. However, a narrative essay doesn’t require looking for such material. This paper can be about a particular event, some period of time, idea, or concept. The list of topics is extensive, but you are required to write something from your perspective.
When it comes to the format and structure, they are standard and do not have specific requirements. The paper needs to have five paragraphs – an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion – and to follow an APA format, although you don’t have to include any citations.
Tip 1: Think about the topic
Usually, teachers give students freedom of choice in to write a narrative essay. However, to narrow the range of topics, they provide a general prompt, like “My birthday.” Try to analyze what you can write about with regard to your birthday. Maybe something occurred on that day that should be revealed.
If you have a couple of such stories to portray, make sure to select one with a manageable plot. It means that your story must be specific. If it’s too broad, you won’t be able to describe it in a way it is gripping and exciting. Plus, try to choose 2-3 characters and build your essay around them. The more characters you include in the paper, the more complicated it will be for the readers. If you face difficulties with that, reach out to academic services. They will write essay online promptly.
Tip 2: An introduction is your key to success
Be it a narrative, argumentative, compare and contrast, or expository essay, an introduction plays a pivotal role. If you want to spark the reader’s attention, you have to make sure they want to keep reading your piece after the first sentence.
The introduction comprises a hook, some background information, and a thesis statement. The hook, also known as an opening statement, must be as enticing as possible. Since you have to write a narrative essay, you can use the first-person pronoun. Start your paper with an anecdote, a funny story that happened to you, or simply add a famous quote relevant to the work’s content.
In regard to background information, make sure it is relevant to your story. Give some pieces of information to enrich the audience’s knowledge so that the reader can fully understand what you talk about further on. However, keep it short and straightforward.
The thesis statement is the cornerstone of your paper. It helps to understand the focal points of your paper. The thesis should be a one-sentence statement, concise, accurate, and comprehensible.
Tip 3: The body is where you have to stand out
Each essay’s part has its own peculiarities. When it comes to the body, you have to fully describe your elements from the thesis statement within the three (usually) body paragraphs. Each body section has the structure as follows:
● Topic sentence
● Story
● Conclusion and transition phrase
A topic sentence is a squeezed introduction of the body. It reflects the first point stated in your thesis statement. For instance, if your topic is about a journey and you want to describe A, B, C, your first body section will be about A, the second about B, and the third about C. Try to preserve this order.
Considering the paper’s standard word count, which is 500 words, make sure to devote 100 words a paragraph. A narrative essay relies on your story, meaning it is the most critical element of your paper. Your story has to have no less than half of each section.
Write a brief conclusion, making a sentence as a bridge to the next paragraph. Transition phrases boost the essay’s coherence and make it understandable and easy to read.
Tip 4: Wrap up the content and leave a good impression
Many students confuse the correct purpose of a conclusion. When writing the last part of the paper, you don’t have to repeat the same points word-by-word. All you need to do is to make sure the reader understood what they read or heard. Rephrase the thesis, using different words. Remember to make it simple and condensed.
You should write the last two or three sentences in a CTA-style (Call To Action). Its primary purpose is to stimulate the discussion or make the readers carry out additional research or cause an immediate response. All in all, people should have a sweet aftertaste.
General tips for writing a narrative essay
When writing a narrative essay, it is crucial to realize that knowing a proper structure and format is insufficient to compose a top-notch essay. You have to meet many other aspects to make your brainchild look professional. To craft a peerless narrative paper, pay attention to these tips as well:
Tip 5: Leave some time for revision
Even if you think that your paper’s first version is excellent, you should put it away for some time and change your focus. A fresh set of eyes is always a great idea. Show your piece to parents or friends. Because they didn’t write it, they would be able to spot concealed mistakes quickly.
Tip 6: Don’t shun to use useful tools
There is no shame to use apps that polish your paper to shine. Everyone uses it, and you should as well! Grammarly, Hemingway, and Thesaurus Synonyms are the three applications that make your written piece impeccable and unparalleled. Grammarly aims to brush up your syntax, eliminating mistakes. Hemingway app ensures your text is easy to read and carries a semantic load on the topic. And Thesaurus helps you expand your vocabulary.
Tip 7: Read before writing
Last but not least, the sweetest and lifelong trick. If you want to write superb formal or informal papers, start reading literature. The best narrative representatives are Virginia Woolf, Henry Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ernest Hemingway. Each of them possesses unique features that demonstrate how diverse narratives can be.
Final Words
Writing narrative essays relies on your imagination, command of a language, and critical thinking. Even though you don’t have to use any sources but depict your personal experience, it might be hard to do that in an appealing way. If you are assigned to write a narrative paper and, for any reason, are stuck, try using the mentioned tips. This guide follows you from A to Z, making sure you include every crucial point. With it, you can complete any essay speedily. Good luck!
